“I am an introvert.” This was what I used to define myself when I was in secondary school. I was only able to communicate with my small clique of friends and was not keen to share my ideas or to participate in public speaking. I was really fat back then and I did not really understand the basics of communication and thus I had low self esteem and was not effective in my social life. Things began to change as my teachers started to give me more opportunities to speak up, especially during science projects, which was my favorite. Years went on and by the time I was in Junior College, I enjoyed public speaking in presentations and peer teaching. I dedicate the root of my confidence in public speaking and project management to the teachers who believed in me and gave me the opportunities and encouragement that pushed me on. Therefore, I fell in love with two of my pet subjects, namely biology and teaching, and I decided to embark teaching of biological sciences as my career.
Some people may call it ‘chip of the old brick’ and I prefer to refer it as passing on the DNA of education and communication to the next generation. As a teacher, I do not want just to educate students on biological concepts but also to inspire them to take up a more dynamic approach in learning through discussion and cooperation. Thus, I will not only have to learn the ways to communicate effective but also to teach students to do the same as well. It is part of my vision to have the future generation to discuss ideas effectively, enjoy the elegance of the flow of knowledge and the interactions of concepts and the interactions of different concepts.
I approach academic communication in three levels of informing, imparting and impacting. Informing consists of effective use of speech, visual aid and effective class management to ensure the students will understand the subject clearly. Imparting will largely involve painting a mental picture in the minds of the students in order to link concepts and provide the basis for ideas to interact dynamically in the mind. The most difficult but also the most meaningful part of education is impacting. I hope to impact the life of students in the way that they may not remember the topics that I have taught or the way of approach to discuss certain subject but the passion for active thinking and discussion would leave a print on their hearts for their lifetime. However, I am still a green horn in the educational field and I will need a systematic approach to effectively communicate with students and to accomplish these objectives. Therefore, getting to learn the skills of effective communication is important presently, especially when such courses are rare.
Being a teacher does not mean being free from office communication. During tea session with some educational veterans, I learnt that there were some teachers who entered the trade with an illusion of a career without dealing with office politics. These senior teachers shared that being able to communicate effectively with colleagues and superiors help to get ideas approved and set things going smoothly. It is only when one teacher can get maximum support from the office that he or she can execute teaching much more effectively in the classroom. During my intern teaching days, I have seen teachers with really good ideas getting denied just because they lack the optimum means of communication and gaining support within the office. Thus, effective communication within the office, which is the backstage, is as equally important as it is in the classroom, which is the stage.
